Cause and Effect
by Froggeh12
Summary: 21 years ago, Kagome found a link between the modern era and the Feudal era... and consequently hundreds of innocents were slain. Now her daughter is having strange nightmares, and right before she wakes up she always hears the same thing...
1. Junna: The Introduction

Cause and Effect

**Cause and Effect**

**Junna: The Introduction**

**Froggeh12**

**Summary:** Naraku is dead and gone, and both couples of the Inuyasha group - Miroku and Sango and Inuyasha and Kagome - are happily married with kids. Inuyasha and Kagome live in Kagome's time, frequently visiting the feudal era, along with their 12-year-old daughter, Junna. Junna starts having really awful recurring nightmares a few weeks before her 13th birthday. Just before she wakes up every night, she always hears the same thing. "Undo that which was never meant to be done."

**A/N:** Re-written 2 years later! Alright, well, this is rated Teen for violence and language, as well as some unnerving concepts. If there's any time at the fic where you think it should be rated higher, please let me know. I would not be happy if this got taken off. And now, let's get started with the fic. :D Nothing too much is going to happen in this chapter; it's pretty much just to get you caught up with what's going on right now, and introduce you to new characters Keep in mind that this fanfic is NOT only about new characters, it relates very deeply to the actual Inuyasha plot you know and love. Please review if you read!

It was only four weeks and three days until Junna Higurashi's thirteenth birthday, and her parents still hadn't given in to the one present she wanted more than anything - a gorgeous piano she had seen at the old shop across from school. Unfortunately, it was a bit pricey for a birthday present…1,000,000 yen pricey, to be exact. But she _needed_ that piano. It was something to practice on, other than her stupid cousin's hand-me-down keyboard.

"Junna, forget it. It's out of the question," Junna's mother, Kagome Higurashi, said blandly. She barely glanced up from her task of throwing freshly sliced tomatoes into a boiling soup for tonight's meal. They had company over - Junna's uncle Souta and his family - so there was no WacDonalds, no matter how much Junna had begged to go with her two best friends after school. "There's no reason for you to eat two dinners," her mother had reprimanded simply.

She needed that piano. Her latest dream-big fantasy was to become a famous pianist who would join super cool American rock bands and add a bit of that unique, classical touch. She'd speak perfect English by then, of course, and be like Pete Wentz – more recognized than the lead singer! She'd have really cute, choppy, multi-colored pigtails, ripped jeans and black miniskirts with fishnet stockings and black leather boots… it was the perfect career. She sighed in frustration and tried a different approach. "Mommy, I love you very much."

"I love you too, honey," Kagome said simply, as though that was obviously the response Junna wanted. She would not give in. Junna would be over this little fantasy in about a month, give or take a day, anyway.

Junna scowled, defeated (for now), and walked over to her father, who was sitting on the couch staring at the TV, waiting for the commercials to end and the game to start. The living room and kitchen shared the same open spaced room. "Daddy…" she began sweetly.

"Junna, we are not getting you a grand piano for your birthday," her father, Inuyasha Higurashi, said gruffly. There had been countless times where he had given in easily, only to face a pissy Kagome, and Inuyasha knew that Kagome could hold a grudge worse than anyone he had ever met.

This reaction led to a renewed scowl. "But, Dad!" she protested angrily. She was his little girl! Why couldn't he see that this was her one true calling in life!?

"Don't be a brat," her cousin Eiko sighed from his seat on the couch. He was sitting between her father and his own father, Souta.

"I'm not! What's so bad about wanting to fulfill my lifelong ambition of becoming a famous pianist?"

"Everything, 'cause you've been playing for what, half a week?"

Souta hit Eiko lightly upside the head without his eyes ever leaving the screen. "Be nice to your little cousin."

"She's only 'little' by two years."

"I'm still younger than you!" Junna taunted, sticking her tongue out at Eiko.

"That's for sure," Eiko snorted. God she could be a brat. But Junna was basically his kid sister, and he loved her to death… though he was positive he would be unable to stand her from an outsider's point of view.

Junna hated being younger than Eiko, but loved the benefits that it brought. Her uncle Souta and aunt Kimiko were always scolding Eiko for teasing her, even if she had bothered him first. Junna had no other siblings or cousins, unless you counted her father's half-brother, Sesshomaru, and his "almost-daughter" Rin, so she was the baby of the family - even for Eiko, whose cousins on Kimiko's side were all older.

She gave a smirk and plopped down to the right of her father, who had his eyes glued to the sports game now that it had started. "Who's winning?"

"Mmf," he replied intelligibly, staring intently at the screen.

"Oh, right. Mmf was the favorite, after all," Junna said with a straight face.

Inuyasha's ear twitched and he turned to face his daughter. "You're a smartass, you know that?" he said teasingly, giving her a tug on the ear.

"Stop," she said shortly, self-consciously rubbing her pointed ear. She hated it whenever people happened to comment on her ears, and didn't encourage any extra attention to them.

With her mother being human and her father being a hanyou, she didn't have very much demon in her. She was somewhere in between hanyou and human with all of her features. She had human ears, like her mother, but they were ever so slightly pointed like an elf's. Her teeth were simply teeth, but they were just a bit sharper than usual. Her fingernails were a little tougher and a lot less blunt than normal human nails.

Junna took mostly after Kagome when it came to appearances. She had a small figure, like her mother. Her shoulder-length hair was black, but once in a while she'd find a few silvery strands of hair, which she hoped against hope was her father's demon blood in her and not a sign of early aging. Unlike her mother's hair, however, Junna's hair was completely straight and sleek. Her eyes were light brown, but had a few amber specks in them. She had the same sort of docile features her mother had, but with perhaps a sharper face shape.

Something Junna herself was famous for, however, was starting things and then never finishing them; this was partially the reason her fairly well-off parents had refused to buy the piano. She had only been practicing for about two months, after all.

"Junna, come help in the kitchen!" Kagome yelled from her place at the stove, snapping Junna out of her daze.

"Aww… man," Junna grumbled, getting up. She yelled back, "I've got homework, Mom!" That excuse always worked. Homework came before chores in the Higurashi household.

Junna picked up Kagome's sigh over the roar of the television and chatter of conversation. Her ears weren't as good as her father's, but they were still much better than the average human's.

"Go do your homework then," Kagome said. "And I mean actually do your homework, don't go to your room and instant message your friends."

"Yes, Mom!" Junna called happily, running out of the living room and down the hallway that led to the stairs.

"I'll help, Kagome," Kimiko offered, getting up from her place in the recliner to walk over to the kitchen.

"Oh, it's ok," Kagome said to her sister-in-law, giving a grin. "That _always_ works." And Junna thought she had her mother so fooled with the "I've got homework" excuse.

"Ahh," said Kimiko in understanding, giving Kagome a small wink and turning to go take her seat at the recliner again. The sisters-in-law had become very close over the years, with Kimiko knowing probably more about Sengoku Jidai than Souta did.

Kagome took a seat next to her husband. As soon as Kagome was settled, Inuyasha wrapped an arm around her shoulders and gave her a kiss on the top of her head. Kagome smiled, closed her eyes, and snuggled closer to Inuyasha.

A while after Kikyou had passed away, Kagome finally admitted to Inuyasha that she loved him - and he confessed his love for her as well, ready to move on from his first love. They eventually defeated Naraku and completed the jewel shard - including Kohaku's shard. After Rin begged him, Sesshomaru revived Kohaku.

The group continued to stay together, even after the final battle. They all lived in Kaede's village, going after the occasional demon that was causing disruption. Kagome visited almost as frequently as she had when they were still going after Naraku and jewel shards. Inuyasha and Kagome were bound by the promise of marriage, which was eventually fulfilled when Kagome graduated from college at the age of 22.

Inuyasha came to live with Kagome in the future, in a house just a block away from the shrine. Kagome had Junna a year later, at the age of 23. Kohaku grew up to have a wife and two children. He lived very close to his sister, who married Miroku. She had just recently given birth to their ninth child. Shippo lived with Sango, Miroku, and their kids. As he aged very slowly - he _was_ a demon, after all - he had aged about 3 years rather than 21. So he was, in reality, still just a kid and couldn't live on his own.

Kagome was still very close to her brother. Souta had met Kimiko his first year in high school. They were married at the age of 18, and went to the same college. Eiko was born a year later, and was therefore two years older than Junna.

Kagome's grandpa, mom, and even Souta and his family still lived at the shrine. Souta claimed he did it to stay close to his family. While that was true, Kagome knew that the main reason was out of consideration for her as well as Inuyasha and Junna, so that they'd always be able to visit the feudal era. Souta would be around much longer than their mother and grandfather, after all.

Inuyasha, who was very anxious for his food, as always, nudged his wife softly. "Kagome, I think food's done."

Kagome blinked and leaned over to glance at the kitchen. "You're probably right." She got up slowly, stretching her back and arms on the way up.

Exactly how long had she been staring off in space?

"Damn, I can't believe they lost," Souta muttered, leaning back on the couch.

Geez, that long?

"They haven't lost _yet_, Dad," Eiko insisted. "They're only down by…er, 20…"

Oh, _not_ that long then.

As she headed to the kitchen, she called to Inuyasha, "Could you call Junna and tell her the food is almost ready?" She thought for a second before adding warily, "And make sure she's actually doing homework."

"Sure," Inuyasha replied. Now that food was in the picture, his 5000 yen bet with Souta didn't seem to matter much anymore.

He walked over to the stairs and, ignoring Kagome's last instruction, called up, "Junna! Food!"

He waited a couple of seconds for her to reply. When about half a minute passed and she hadn't answered, he frowned.

"Junna, did you hear me?" Inuyasha said, a little louder. He knew, though, that she should've been able to hear him, even if he had said it softly.

"Junna!" he exclaimed, getting irritated and perhaps a little worried. He started up the stairs, made a right at the landing, and headed down the hall to the third door on the left. He rapped his knuckles against it and said, "Junna, open up."

Inuyasha sighed and let himself in when his daughter didn't. He looked over to her bed to see her twitching slightly in her sleep. She looked like she was in pain.

He knew something was wrong instantly. He dashed to her side, trying to shake her awake. "Junna, wake up!"

Junna jumped and stopped twitching, though now she was trembling. She opened her eyes slowly. "Dad…" she said softly.

"What happened? Bad dream?" he asked nervously, holding his arms out to her.

Junna nodded and burst into tears. She wrapped her arms around her father. "I was so scared…"

Inuyasha held his daughter as she cried, more concerned than he had been in a long time, for reasons he couldn't put his finger on. "What happened, though…?"

"I …don't know," she sobbed. "I don't remember. But…" She pulled away from her father, trying to calm her tears. She gave a sniff. "I'm way too old to be crying about a silly nightmare…"

Inuyasha shook his head. "No… it's alright." He still wasn't the best at this whole "comforting" thing, not even after nearly 13 years of fatherhood.

Junna looked like she was about to say something in reply, before frowning and thinking for a moment. "Hey, Dad… do we know… somebody named Kikyou?"

Inuyasha froze at the name. "Why?"

Junna shook her head. "It's just that…they mentioned a 'Kikyou'… I'm sure of it." She glanced back up at her father. "But I forget the rest."

Inuyasha frowned. Had Kagome went behind his back and told their daughter about Naraku and Kikyou? Or maybe just let the name slip? They had decided that once Junna turned 13, they would tell her, and not a day sooner. They figured that she would be old enough to take it in without getting distressed then.

He shook his head slowly and got off the bed, changing the subject. "Dinner is ready." Though the incident had appeared trivial, something was very wrong.


	2. The Nightmare

Cause and Effect

**Cause and Effect**

**The Nightmares**

**Froggeh12**

**A/N:** Umm… nothing, I guess. Just don't forget to review! D

In reality, Junna had remembered her dream down to the last detail. How could she forget something so horrible, so _vivid_…?

She couldn't tell her father what it was that had happened in her dream. He'd think she was _crazy_… perhaps even get a little scared of her for dreaming such a thing… It _was_ just a dream, though. Wasn't it? It couldn't be anything else, but…

She had never seen anything quite so violent and disgusting in her life. Not even on television, which was pretty damn hard to imagine. Usually in dreams, didn't death mean… insecurity or something? Or was that being naked…

She rolled her eyes to herself; it was probably neither of those. What did it matter, though? Sometimes couldn't a dream just be a dream? Better just forget about it, right?

She shrugged her shoulders and followed her father out of the room. "Right!" she said aloud, regaining her enthusiastic demeanor.

"Did you say something?" Inuyasha muttered, twitching his ear towards her.

"It's nothing, Dad."

It was their monthly dinner with Souta, Kimiko, and Eiko. Why was she going to go and spoil it for herself over a stupid nightmare? Junna would never admit it, ever, but she loved having Eiko over. Sometimes it got lonely with no siblings. True, Sango's children were like sisters to her, but she only got to see them a few times a week.

Eiko was constantly teasing her - pointing out her strands of silver hair on a particularly bad day where they were almost like streaks, pushing her off the couch when she was in vulnerable states, bragging about his amazing social life and grades… but isn't that what brothers did?

She put on her best smile and entered the dining room, where her family was already sitting and waiting for her. There were two empty spaces directly across from each other. Junna sat next to Eiko, while Inuyasha sat next to Kagome, and Kimiko and Souta, as the guests of honor, sat at the heads of the table. When both had taken their seats, Kagome began to serve everyone her latest soup experiment. Kagome loved to experiment in the kitchen, and while some recipes turned out great, others were something to be eaten with great caution.

Kimiko struck up a conversation first in between small bites of a large tomato slice. "How are you doing in school, Junna?" Kimiko was an almost role model of Junna's, and it was hard to lie to her. But she had to, so… "Er… pretty good."

In reality, she was starting to see a few Cs on her report card - which was not to be tolerated, especially by her mother. Kagome was constantly reminding her about how she had goofed off in junior high and was almost held back a year. Apparently it was because she spent too much time in feudal Japan. Junna thought that was just a bit of stupidity on her mother's part; she should've known not to spend so much time there. Then again, Junna didn't know the half of it yet.

Kagome shot her daughter a weary glance from across the table, but decided not to embarrass her in front of her relatives. "And how are you doing, Eiko?" As if she didn't know. Eiko never shut up about it.

"Fantastic, to be honest," Eiko smirked.

Junna scowled. He did it mostly to spite her; he, unlike his parents, knew about her falling grades. She moved her leg and kicked him as hard as she could in a kneeling position - which turned out to be fairly hard.

"Hey!" Eiko snapped. "Junna kicked me!"

"Well, did you kick her first?" Souta asked flatly.

"No!"

"Junna, don't kick Eiko if he hasn't kicked you first," Souta said in monotone.

"Mmk," Junna replied, resuming her meal and ignoring the nasty look Eiko shot her. She finally put her finger on the kind of broth used – it was chicken broth. Tomatoes, chicken broth, crab, soy sauce, and some seasoning proved to be an interesting, but fairly tasty soup.

"Will you guys be in town on the 21st for Junna's birthday?" Kagome asked suddenly. "Oh, I was thinking that we could have a party!" Her eyes widened. "It could be a… a pool party! Yeah… with a piñata…and maybe a clown or a magician! And we could hire a lifeguard to have fun water games!" Kagome clasped her hands together, looking positively ecstatic.

"Mom…" Junna said, raising an eyebrow. "How many months old do you think I am?"

Kagome frowned. "No clown then? Don't you like magicians, though?" It was hard to accept that Junna had outgrown those things in the past two years, as she herself still enjoyed them very much…

Junna rolled her eyes. She paused suddenly and exclaimed, "Aren't we going to the feudal era that day?!"

She had almost forgotten! There was no way she would waste her birthday away in her own time. Sango's second and third oldest daughters, Junna's friends Ami and Asano, were apparently hard at work on her present, and they wanted her to be there for her birthday.

Kagome exchanged glances with Inuyasha. "Well, Junna," she began. "Don't you want to have a party here with your friends in this time? You always say you want to spend more time with them."

"No," Junna said bluntly.

"What about Reina, or Tamae?" Kagome asked, concerned. She would hate to hear that Junna had somehow lost Reina, though Tamae wouldn't be a big loss…

"They're great and all, but I barely get to visit the feudal era!" Truly, half the time she "begged" to spend time with her friends only because they begged her to. Like the WacDonalds incident… though she had actually wanted to go that day. But in the end, her family and her close friends in Sengoku Jidai were way more important than Reina or Tamae could ever be.

"We go there a few times a week," Kagome pointed out warily.

"Yeah, but you said you used to mostly live there!" Junna exclaimed, feeling her anger rising in her chest like a balloon filling it up and waiting to burst into the most horrible form of anger – tears. "It's not fair! You got to skip school and Grandpa would make excuses for you! Why can't you and Dad do the same for me? That's where all of my _real_ friends are!"

Inuyasha finally spoke up. "It was… different back then." He exchanged glances with his wife again. "We think that you should spend more time with your friends here."

"Why? Since _when?_" Junna snapped, getting angry. She ignored the uncomfortable looks of Souta and his family. Her mother was always pulling her away from her friends unless it was supervised. She was treated like a grade school kid and now after years of it she wanted to take it all back?

"Because it's fucking DANGEROUS!" Inuyasha snarled, raising from his seat.

Junna looked up in shock. His tone was like a slap in the face. She was his only daughter, his _baby._ How could he talk to her in such a MEAN way?

Inuyasha ignored the look and continued, "Do you know how many times your mother and I have come close to dying? Sango and Miroku said there has been a huge increase of demon attacks lately, and we're not going to just put you in harms way like that!"

"Inuyasha!" Kagome intervened dangerously. "That's enough! What's the point of needlessly worrying her?"

She took a moment to compose herself, and then looked over gently at her daughter, who seemed rather shaken up. "We can go there for your birthday. We just have to be a little more careful, that's all. Sango, Miroku, Inuyasha, and I have all had to fight demons various times; we're very experienced with fighting them." She just didn't know how experienced they were. "It'll be ok, honey."

Junna gave a quick nod and went back to eating, praying that her body wouldn't betray her and start crying.

Eiko cleared his throat and went back to eating. They sat in silence for the rest of dinner. Junna was furious, at both of her parents for their attitudes. What were they hiding, anyway? Why was she always treated like a china doll that might easily break apart?

After the meal, Kimiko wordlessly helped Kagome clean up. Almost immediately after, Souta, Kimiko, and Eiko quietly thanked their relatives for the meal before leaving.

Junna went up to her room without a word, although she slammed her door rather loudly. Inuyasha watched his daughter leave and then sighed, heading back over to the couch. He flopped down, frowning irritably.

Kagome watched Inuyasha and rolled her eyes. Twenty-one whole years later he still hadn't gotten over the "pouting puppy" act. "Inuyasha…" She took a seat next to him.

He 'feh'ed and moved further down on the couch, crossing his arms. This had gotten way beyond what he had wanted it to be. Wasn't Junna always asking to do more with her friends, anyway?

"Inuyasha, look at me!"

Inuyasha grudgingly turned to stare at her, waiting for the reprimanding to start.

"What was that all about just a few minutes ago?" Kagome hissed.

"Why are you yelling at ME?" he said angrily. "You're the one who mentioned Kikyou!"

"WHAT? Why would I tell her about Kikyou?"

"Because she mentioned that there was a person named Kikyou in her dream!" Inuyasha snapped back, as though it were obvious.

Kagome blinked. "She did?"

"…Yeah…" he frowned. Why was she confused? No, this wasn't part of the plan. Kagome would admit that she had accidentally let the name 'Kikyou' slip and they could resume arguing.

"Of course I didn't tell her! I don't even want to tell her when she turns thirteen…" she looked down. "Who wants to know about something like that?"

He nodded silently and looked away. _But then how did she know about Kikyou?_ He frowned. Kagome was over her jealousy of Kikyou. Now Kagome got into a weird, depressing mood that she constantly tried to cover up by starting a new hobby every time Kikyou's story really got to her.

"But…" Kagome began, jerking him out of his thoughts. "I don't think Junna was mad just because you yelled."

Inuyasha nodded and finished, "She probably thinks… we're hiding things about the feudal era." They had managed to make it fairly obvious, after all.

"Well, because we are! We haven't told her exactly _how_ we met everyone or each other… about Kikyou… about Naraku… not even about the shikon no tama or exactly where it went when it was completed. The only thing she does know is that for some reason the three of us have a link between the past and future." She sighed. "But it's for her own good…right?"

"Right, but…" his frown deepened. "Why do you think there have an increase in demon attacks? Everything was going fine. We had the jewel, and Naraku was defeated, so there have only been the occasional demon raids. Nothing constant, like it was before… but by the sounds of it, it's getting to that point again."

Kagome shook her head. "I don't know. But we… can't stop going entirely. I could never live with myself if I left them all there to deal with that…never knowing whether they were dead or alive…"

"I know, Kagome. Don't worry, we won't leave them alone… and we'll all end up fine," Inuyasha replied, folding his hand over his wife's. "But…even if we ever got attacked by someone worse than Naraku… you wouldn't have to worry, because -"

"You'll always protect us," Kagome finished for him, giving a smile. "I know you will." She leaned her head against his shoulder. Some things never changed… which wasn't always as bad as people made it sound.

--

_She was making her way carefully through a large forest. She knew this place well… Sengoku Jidai._ _The branches were heavy and the weather was hot and sticky. Where were Ami and Asano?_ _Where was her family? Why was she alone? She should've been playing by the creek in this sort of weather… she tried to move in the direction of the village, but her feet were unable to move any way but the path she was taking. _

_All at once, panic took over. She screamed out desperately for her parents. She must've been possessed._

_Then it started. The screams pierced the air. She heard children crying out to parents, lovers sobbing for each other, friends forced to betray each other and watch as they died… She heard it all, their stories and their fear. All of their pain was projected on to her._

"_Mom!" she cried fearfully. "DAD!" This wasn't just a demon raid. Something terrible was happening. Or maybe it already had happened… she couldn't tell…_

_She felt dizzy. The screams overwhelmed her. They weren't out loud anymore. They were in her mind, shrieking in pain and anguish._

_There was blood… everywhere. She didn't need her demon sense of smell to tell her that. The stench was overwhelming. And she was getting closer to the source._

_She pushed her way through a few low-hanging tree limbs. She froze at seeing something red and sticky spread across a few of the leaves – or at least tried to, but her body moved swiftly through the branches, letting them hit her lightly._ _In the clearing, there was __blood. On the trees, on the ground … on the hundreds of thousands of human corpses…_

_Around these corpses were thousands of ghosts replaying the scenes of death. It was everywhere, and she couldn't move._

"_Well done, girl."_

_Her body forced her to turn around. "Who's there?!" she demanded fearfully._

"_You…" the disembodied voice said, full of contempt. " You hate this. You hate the disgusting smell of innocent blood, the screams of those who watched their loved ones die. Do you wish to change this?"_

"_How can I change it? They're already dead!" She was sobbing now, terrified. Was she possessed? Why was she seeing these things? Was she going to die too?_

"_It was Kikyou's will."_

"_Who is Kikyou?!" she screamed out._

"_Undo that which was never meant to be done!"_


End file.
